What is not so exciting is food shopping, meal thinking and cooking in the summer.

Even I am struggling these days to maintain kitchen order.

My coupons are suffering. My grocery list is at the bottom of my beach bag.

It doesn’t help that not only are there less coupons in the summer, a majority of the brands that offer coupons in the local newspaper circulars are not for items I normally purchase.

Lately I have been stopping into the stores every few days just grabbing the essentials and winging it from there.

Please note the container of ice cream. I am in a heated competition with the Ice Cream Man who makes himself known every afternoon. Without fail. Rain or Shine.

One container of Breyer’s ice cream $1.97 (ON SALE!) which easily dishes out 6 or more sundaes vs. the blasted Ice Cream Man’s selections that cost at least $2.50 each.

The score so far: Ice Cream Man 2 – Mom – 0

I am convinced this container of Breyer’s will help me make my comeback.

Anyway, back to the point of this post:

I was never big on the Sunday food prep and the truth is, when the weekends are beautiful, who is home or feels like prepping and cooking after a day in the sun? No one.

I have decided it is going to take some planning, of another form, to get the healthy meals on the summer table.

We need to allow ourselves some slack during this time of year.

No, I do not mean you sit back and go to town with yourself and survive on fast food and chips.

The lettuce and tomato on your fast food burger will not count as your vegetables for this plan. I am sorry.

I simply mean it is A-OK to go semi-homemade and pull together meals that require less preparation and planning.

So how does this little summer plan of action work?

THREE TIPS FOR THROWING TOGETHER QUICK, NO BRAINER YET STILL HEALTHY MEALS:

1 – PRE-CUT VEGETABLES-

Trader Joe’s has a lovely selection of a variety of pre-cut vegetables ready to be eaten or quickly cooked a variety of ways.

Quick salads

Stir-Fry

Roasted vegetables

Quick Side Dish

Veggies and hummus

Please bear with me on the quality of the photos – I took them quickly yesterday and the employees kept questioning what the heck I was doing.

Don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you? No problem. The photo above was taken in Target. Most Target stores have some form of a grocery section.

Which is totally perfect for multi-tasking the errands so you can get yourself to the pool faster.

I realize that buying pre-cut vegetables may cost a bit more than cutting up yourself.

However, it is still cheaper (AND HEALTHIER!) to buy the cut up veggies and prepare the meals at home versus eating out every day instead.

2- MAKE THE FROZEN AISLE YOUR FRIEND-

Afraid to buy fresh produce because it may spoil before you cook it? Don’t have time to cook the quinoa or brown rice? Need a little assistance from our friends Amy and Dr. Praeger?

No problem. Hit up the frozen aisle.

Your possibilities are endless people. Frozen vegetables are perfect to store in the freezer, they are always ready to be cooked and won’t spoil. Many stores sell a wide variety of vegetable blends including stir fry ready packages.

They also have a nice variety of pizzas and other frozen meal options.

Again, if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, just look in the freezer section of your local grocery store for products like this.

I post about these products often because they are staples in our freezer.

Dr. Praeger’s and Amy’s Organic sell a wide variety of healthy frozen foods that are perfect to come home to when you don’t know what to cook and can easily be paired with a quick salad or side dish.

**JUST WATCH THE SODIUM CONTENT WHEN BUYING PREPARED MEALS.

In my opinion, a little bit more sodium than normal during the summer is OK since you are sweating more and need to replace some of the salt. However, everyone is different and we all require different amounts of sodium in our diet so adjust this advice accordingly.

#3 – TRY MEATLESS- This is the perfect time of year to incorporate plant-based protein into your diet.

Meat/poultry takes planning. Defrosting. Preparing.

Skip it and go for the beans.

Long shelf life, no need to plan and ready for you when you need them. Easily added to salads, stir fry dishes, simple rice and beans, loaded baked potatoes…your possibilities are endless.

Not to mention easy on the waistline and less taxing on the digestive system.

I would love to hear your ideas and planning strategies for the summer months. Do you find you cook less in the summer and eat out more? Does your grocery shopping change like mine does?

Comments

I also say that precut veggies are still cheaper than al the money people pay for medication, doctor’s visits, and lost work time from poor health. Not to mention the poor quality of life. Nothing (not even Krispy Kreme or the Spider-Man ice cream bar) tastes as good as being healthy feels (even on the wallet).

My grocery list always seems to be changing based on season, time, mood, activity level etc. Since I have way more time in the summer to cook and plan, you would think I would try new recipes, but I tend to go with things that are quick and easy because I don’t feel like hanging out in the kitchen when it’s hot and sticky!

Hahahahaha! I love that you’re in competition with the ice cream man! I’d totally want the ice cream man’s ice cream instead of what was at home. It’s principal at that point, right? Even if it is the same! 🙂 I hope your ice cream helps your case!! I love Trader Joe’s for this reason and I’m so grateful to have one right behind my apartment! Walking there makes it so much more fun. My list doesn’t really change too much other than I incorporate seasonal fruit more (hello, watermelon, my old friend!). I still always have lettuce, salad toppings, sweet potatoes, lots of beans and eggs. Hmm, I am super boring, no? Oh well. 🙂 I don’t like change.
But, unfortunately, I’m all about eating out over the summer because I incorporate that with patio drinking. It’s a bad habit that I can maybe break this year.

This was such a great post all around, but I think my favorite part was the ice cream man part. My mom was probably in competition with the ice cream man more than I’d like to admit. Frozen yogurt with toppings at home was what made her come out on top! Too funny! 🙂

I offer all toppings including hot fudge, peanut butter, whipped cream, I make banana splits. Sprinkles. You name it yet he still hears that darn truck and wants it!

Hi! I’m Meredith!

Welcome to my blog! I'm an avid runner/self-proclaimed Pure Barre addict living in New York with a love for good food and fashion. Please join me as I run through divorced motherhood sharing my foodie moments, fashion favorites, race recaps and everything in between!

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*Although I have completed the Professional Certificate Program in Sports Nutrition and Performance through the School of Professional Development at Stonybrook University, I am not a registered Dietitian or Nutritionist. The health advice, opinion and information I provide in this blog is based upon my knowledge, beliefs, experiences and what works for my family and me.

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